Former GJA Secretary hints corruption in Judo arena

A three-time black belt international coach and former Guyana Judo Association (GJA) secretary William Blackman has stepped forward to give his take on the controversy surrounding the GJA. The association found its self in hot water after allegations were pedaled against them by Canadian-based Judoka Darren Elcock.
Amongst the list of several malpractices, Blackman placed emphasis on the fact that the association is an unconstitutional body which is not recognized by the international association. “The present association is unconstitutional, it’s illegal, because one they had changed their name to Judo association of Guyana, which was overturned by the international body and that body told Mr. Raul Archer when he went to a world conference in Brazil in 2012 that they do not recognize Judo Association of Guyana,” he stated.

“I told him when he came back in order to rectify this, you have to do the same process how you changed the name, call a general meeting and change it back. He did not do this,” Blackman further explained.
The former Judoka further disclosed that members of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) are aware of this misconduct but still supports the entity. He stated that he spoke with GOA President K.A. Juman-Yassin on the issue and was told to leave the matter alone.

Another issue that Blackman raised was the lack of clubs in Guyana; to this end he stated, “To form an association you have to have more than one clubs, there are no other clubs but the one which Mr. Archer has and you can’t have an association with one club.” He also highlighted the fact that there has not been an election since 2012, the governing period being two years. Additionally, he stated that the 2012 elections were shady, in that the executive body elected amongst themselves rather than having the members apart of that process.
To back up his claims, Blackman produced a letter that was sent to him by Archer on the way forward after he returned in 2012. He also had in his possession the old constitution and the newer version that was put into place along with the name change of the association.
Blackman challenged the association’s reluctance to accept Darren Archer with the fact that Edward DeLima who resides in the USA had requested to represent Guyana in Brazil and was readily given that opportunity. In addition to this, he explained that there should be no problem with International membership since the young man was a member of the Canadian Judo Association and by extension the international association.
Just a few days ago, Darren Elcock shared with the Guyana Times Sport that after being given the impression that the local Judo association would facilitate his transfer from the Canadian Judo Association, the President and other senior officials began giving him the ‘cold shoulder’. The concerned young man noted that it is a very simple process and even stated that he would be happy to represent his birth place if that opportunity is awarded to him. Elcock who started out as a Karateka at the YMCA dojo, has accolades such as a gold medal from the Winter Games in Alberta 2010 and another gold from the Edmonton International championship in 2011.